


Small talk

by Snails_okay



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: CACW, Death, Doesn’t have to be read as slash, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Steve Friendly, Team why can’t we all be friends, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, not a fix it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-02-02 15:33:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12729306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snails_okay/pseuds/Snails_okay
Summary: The first chapter can be read as a one shot.Tony didn’t know why he called, he didn’t know what he was going to say so he asked about the weather.An angst fic where something’s wrong with tony and he calls Steve so that they can have a ‘normal peoples’ chat.Sorry it’s a terrible summary, I’m currently at school so il edit when I get home.





	1. Chapter 1

The phone sat in Tony’s hand, it was covered in dirt and dust from being dropped moments before. His fingers hovered above the call button until he finally gave in.  
As it rung tony started to feel dizzy, his hands shook slightly and his breathing speed up.

“Hello?” 

Tony’s mouth was dry and his thoughts scattered, he hadn’t planned this.   
“You said that if I needed to talk, if I needed your help that I could call you” 

“I did” Steve’s voice dropped with concern.

Tony took a shaky breath, what was he supposed to say?  
“Well I need to talk” he gave a nervous laugh before breaking out into a coughing fit.

“Tony? What wrong, where are you?” Steve questioned.

“No, you don’t get to ask that” Tony huffed, his grip on the phone tightened as he continued, “I didn’t ask you where you disappeared to, I just assumed it was narnia and moved on.”

“Hey calm down, why did you call me“ Steve was starting to panic now.

Silence, the only sound coming though the crappy old speakers of the burner phone was Tony’s raspy breaths. 

“I- I wanted to know if you liked it there, if you’re happy up in-” Tony gestured with his hand even though he knew Steve couldn’t see “-in narnia or where ever the hell you went”

“Oh.... ummm okay.” Steve thought for a second, “it’s strange, things are so different, again.”

Tony slid down the metal wall behind him, he was tired and confused, he didn’t exactly know what he wanted from Steve. It was cold where he was sitting, he could see his breath on the still air.

Steve not having got a response from Tony continued, “it’s like when I came out of the ice, it’s not as big a change and i know what’s happened but it’s still the same suddenness”.

“Is it cold?” 

“No, no it’s not cold and that’s not what I meant by it’s like coming out of the ice” 

“I know, I just wanted to know if it was cold where you were because I’m so damn cold” Tony mumbled, his head now hanging on an awkward angle.

“Put a jumper on?” Steve suggested.

It was a small attempt at some light hearted humour, and it made Tony laugh slightly.

There was a comfortable silence, neither men knowing quite how to react.

Tony hissed quietly and bit his tongue. He wanted to ask if Steve would ever come back, if they ever were friends or if tony had just misplaced his trust and found false security in people who just wanted his money.

“Tony?”

He couldn’t quite form the words he wanted to say, his body ached and even though the blood pooling around his legs felt warm he was shivering with the cold.

“Yeah, sorry.” He started, “I should go, but thank you, thank you for this”.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening? Tony keep talking to me please don’t hang up”  
“No no I don’t want to keep you away from riding unicorns that shit rainbows or what ever it is you’re doing, just leave il be fine” Tony was wheezing by the end, he couldn’t   
quite catch his breath.  
He wrapped his free arm around his torso protectively, blood seeped from the stab wounds that littered his stomach.

“Please don’t do this what’s wrong? You didn’t just call me to ask about the weather” Steve pleaded.

“Why? Why is it so hard to believe that I care, that I want you and everyone else to be happy? Why do I have to be the bad guy.” Tears escaped from his eyes as he shouted into the phone.

“It’s no th-“ Steve began, 

“Shut up, just shhh for a second” Tony cut Steve off but was interrupted by the violent coughs that racked his body.

“Are you hurt? Should someone come get you?” 

Pained grunts and quiet whimpering came from Tony’s end of the line, he was content with the conversation, he had originally called with the intention of giving a great speech.  
He didn’t know if he was going to say “fuck you rogers” or “I’m sorry”, instead he talked about riding unicorns and the weather. It was so normal, and he was happy with that.

“You don’t have to be alone, just tell me where you are” Steve’s voice grew frantic.

He’d never thought about that, he’d never thought about how he didn’t have to be alone but now that he was thinking about it he felt scared. Tony tried to form the words to say “please help me, I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die with nothing”. His throat closed up and he vision blurred.

He didn’t care if he was physically alone when he died, he just didn’t want to die know that no one cared, that even though he could have what ever he wanted he couldn’t buy himself a family.  
He tried so hard to bring the phone back up to his ear but he couldn’t, his arms wouldn’t listen to him. 

He suddenly felt so tired, he wanted to sleep even just for a second. Something in the back of his head was screaming no, don’t close your eyes but he couldn’t help it.  
He could hear Steve’s please over the phone but couldn’t quite understand what he was saying, Tony’s body sagged to the side as his eyes rolled back in his head.  
Maybe this was for the best, he’d been ready to die when he had the palladium poisoning so why was it so scary now? 

Then he realised, he wasn’t afraid of dying or even dying alone.

He was afraid that he hadn’t done enough for the people he cared about, he was going to die with too much blood on his hands. He was going to die a rich asshole with no friends and a drinking problem.

He was afraid of the fact that even though he tried so hard to be good, to do something positive with his life he’d failed, he’d failed everyone and become this monster.

He was going to die knowing that he was a bad person.

He was going to die guilty, 

But maybe that’s what he deserved.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I felt that this was a bit rushed sorry, I was originally going to make it a one shot and hadn’t accounted for a second chapter.
> 
> I might make this into a series but I dunno yet.
> 
> Anyways thank you so much for the amazing feedback I had on the previous chapter! Xx

Steve knew.

The moment his phone began to buzz after months of silence, he knew.

Carefully he held the phone to his ear, “hello?”.

“You said that if I needed to talk-“ he was greeted by Tony’s rambling followed by a pained cough.  
Steve was already on high alert, he knew that Tony wouldn’t have called unless he needed to.  
He knew that Tony wasn’t going to say what he actually wanted to say but instead talk about mundane things until he thought Steve was angry with him.

Steve could hear Tony’s ragged breathing in between words and immediately began walking to his room to grab a jacket, his wallet and a gun.  
He felt strange without his shield, without being able to visit his home country that he had adored since he was young and had served since World War 2.

“Well I need to talk” Tony gave a nervous laugh before breaking out into a coughing fit.

Steve had kept an eye on Tony, it wasn’t exactly difficult as Tony had been in the media more now than ever. The public seemed to dislike him, in interviews TV hosts would ask him questions that he wasn’t able to answer and then grill him for being so secretive. News circled that he had caused the avengers to split, that he did it for publicity and to push his security onto the country and further boost stark industries.  
People hated him so much that they ignored his rapid weight loss or the way he swayed on his feet as he gave speeches.

But they did notice when he disappeared.

It had only been a week but the response of his absence was huge, people from all over the world accused him of hiding while others argued “can you blame him?”. Twitter tags trended saying #donthidebehindmetal and people publicly burned pictures of Tony.

Steve should have reached out to Tony before this, Steve should have visited while he still knew where Tony was.

“I- I wanted to know if you liked it there, if you’re happy up in-” Tony paused, “-in narnia or where ever the hell you went”

“Oh.... ummm okay.” Steve thought for a second, “it’s strange, things are so different, again.”  
He was now heading out to a large open room filled with punching bags and other gym equipment, across from him, in the adjoining room were a few fancy computers.

Steve didn’t actually know how he was going to find Tony, but he sat down at the computer anyway. He needed Tony to tell him what was wrong, tell him where the hell he was.

Suddenly there was a pained hiss and a thud against metal.

“Tony?”

Everything felt wrong, he knew that something was wrong but didn’t have a clue what. Maybe Tony was just drunk Steve thought, he hoped Tony was just drunk even though he knew he wasn’t.

“Yeah, sorry.” Tony started, “I should go, but thank you, thank you for this”.

No no no no no no no. Steve stated to panic, ‘don’t leave I haven’t seen you I ages and something is definitely wrong’.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening? Tony keep talking to me please don’t hang up” Steve pleaded.  
Tony was wheezing as he explained that he didn’t want to waste Steve’s time. Steve panicked every part of him was screaming at him that something wasn’t just wrong but incredibly bad, that things had taken the worst possible turn.

“Please don’t do this what’s wrong? You didn’t just call me to ask about the weather” Steve begged, then he realised.

Tony wasn’t just hurt, he was dying, And it felt like Steve had killed him.

“You don’t have to be alone, just tell me where you are” Steve’s voice grew frantic.

He could hear Tony’s sobs and gasps for breath, He heard the clang of Tony’s head hitting a metal floor, and then he heard something that broke him.

Between shivers Tony mumbled “I’m sorry, I don’t w-wanna be t-th-is”

“TONY! WHAT'S WRONG WHERE ARE YOU PLEASE TALK TO ME YOU DON'T WANNA BE WHAT!” Steve was now screaming, he didn’t know what to do.

“I’m alone....juh-st l-like a mon-nster should-d be” Tony whispered.

And then there was silence.

Steve was crying.

This was the second time he’d left Tony alone in the cold to feel the same empty pain that he felt when he was trapped in the ice.

“Tony?” He whispered.

Met with silence Steve began to sob.

He had to find him, maybe Tony wasn’t dead, and he just over reacted.  
He tried to think of where in hell Tony could be, and then it hit him.

Steve had heard metal walls and floor and Tony had complained about the cold.  
Steve hoped he was wrong, but he needed to check. He frantically started to pack some stuff before T’Challa walked in with a confused expression on his face.

“You’re leaving?”

“I think Tony’s in Siberia”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to go back and re-watch CACW as I had to keep googling things to make sure I hadn’t just read it in a fic lol.  
> Anyways as always feed back is very much appreciated and I’m open to any requests xx


	3. Before the call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I want to make it clear that I’m starting a second book that will continue on from this one, it’s just so that if people want an angsty short fic they can read this but if they want something a bit bigger with a bigger plot they can continue on with my other book :)

Before the call:

Things had become messy, too messy for anyone to clean up and Tony knew this. He’d tried to fix things, he really did but it had gotten to a point where he had to cut his losses.  
He needed an escape so he went to the one place no one would expect him to go. They all assumed he’d be to scared to, that he’d been beaten badly by the captain and wouldn’t get back up. This of course wasn’t true and Tony would show them who he really was, after he ran away for a while and gathered his thoughts.

Tony got into one of his suits and flew into the evening sky, at the time he didn’t actually know where he was going but the suit seemed to know where to go.  
When his boots finally settled into the snow and the panic set in Tony stood still looking out at the vast snowy plains in front of him.  
Angry, sad and confused he made his way to the spot that Steve had left him for Bucky.  
He got out of his suit and breathed in the cold air, shivers were sent down his body as he tried to stop himself from breaking down.  
Wind ruffled his hair as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could do this, he could fix everything.  
A soft clank of metal disturbed him from his thoughts, Tony looked behind him but couldn’t see anything wrong. He decided to get back in his suit, just to give himself a sense of security when he noticed that two suits were standing where he’d left his. The white wall of falling snow behind them made it hard to see anything but two ominous silhouettes.  
“What the fuck” he mumbled under his breath.  
The suit on the left started to make its way towards him, it held its hand out as it got closer. Tony took a step back but suddenly the suit lunged forward and stabbed him with a knife that had replaced one of the fingers on the suit. Damnnnn, Tony wished he had seen that earlier.

Blood instantly started to stain his thin shirt as the offending suit began to fight what was obviously his own suit. They flew outside as the continued to fight, leaving Tony alone.  
He grabbed his phone nervously and shakily tried to call the only number saved into it, steve.  
He dropped it twice before finally getting it together and dialling the number.  
As it rung tony started to feel dizzy, his hands shook slightly and his breathing speed up.

“Hello?”

 

~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m very sorry that it’s short but as I said I’m starting a second book so this is just a introduction to it, also I’ve been busy. I’m about to change schools and we re did our lounge room and our kitchen so I haven’t had time to write.
> 
> In the next two days I will post a story called Eccedentesiast which will continue on from this story but with a bigger more thought out plot.
> 
> Anyway thank you so much for your support over the last two posts it mean a lot to me xx


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not proud of this so I’m going to re write it when I get a chance... please give me feed back.

Steve watch as his breath fogged up in front of him.  
Snow covered most of his torso and part of his legs.  
The cold seeped through his clothes and wrapped its arms around his chest.

Steve had arrived at the old bunker in Siberia he’d found Tony’s iron man suit buried until a layer of snow. At first Steve had panicked and thought that Tony was still in the suit but discovered that it was empty. He couldn’t decide if it was a good or bad thing, he still didn’t know where Stark.  
Continuing up into the bunker and to the room he’d tried hard to forget, Steve found multiple blood splatters on the cold metal floor.

“Tony? You here?” He called out nervously.

Steve was met with silence, he padded up to the window that looked out across the vast white cliff face.

Suddenly he heard the clank of metal boots behind him, he looked over his shoulder but found nothing. Steve looked back out the window, maybe he was going crazy, tony had definitely been here or else why would his suit be here?

Steve took a deep breath and tried to think when he felt something push him, suddenly he was falling and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. With a loud thud and the sickening sound of bones breaking Steve hit the ground.

He didn’t remember passing out, he didn’t really remember what happened but he knew that he felt cold and sore. His ribs hurt and so did his left leg.  
‘Very not good’ he thought as he tried and failed to push himself out of the snow.  
He was about to try again when a he heard multiple people walking towards him.  
“Hello!? Anyone? Help please I-“ He was cut off when someone grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up over their shoulder.

He could now see the legs of who ever was carrying him, he realised that it was another one of Tony’s suits except it was green and black.

“Tony!? Put me down! I thought you were dead I was worried an- tony?” Steve was confused.

“Hey if this you getting back at me for what happened I’m sorry, I really am and I wish I knew how to show you but I don’t” again he got no reply from he ex-friend.

“Stark?” He felt tears in the back of his eyes, how could he explain how shit he’d fall over the past months, hoe much he regretted his choices.

“This isn’t fair! Put me down so that we can talk about this ... I promise I’ll listen this time just - please talk to me... say something”

“You’re not the bad guy I am” Steve made a final attempt.

Anger bubbled up in Steve, he angry and sad and confused. Why was tony doing this? He’d called and said he wanted to talk and here Steve was ready to talk yet tony hadn’t said a word to him.

“You know what Fuck you stark, you wanted to talk you-“ Steve was cut off when tony threw him off of his shoulder and punched him in the face effectively knocking Steve out.

When Steve came too he noticed that he was no longer in the outside in the cold but in what looked like and old castle.  
Across from him were two hallways, both glowing and ominous red from a light source he couldn’t yet see.  
To the left of him was Tony’s crumpled form lying on the dirt floor, a puddle of blood surrounding him.  
“TONY!” Steve tried to run over to his friend but was hinted by the white hot pain in his leg and the collar around his neck.

Steve gritted his teeth as he examined his leg, bone was sticking out around his ankle and the skin around it was an angry red.  
The collar around his neck was fixed to the wall behind him with less then arms length of chain for him to move around.

“Not good” Steve mumbled under his breath.

“Hey tony, can you hear me?” Steve looked at the brunette, he couldn’t even tell if he was breathing.  
He felt useless, defeated and utterly confused.

He heard someone walking down the one of the halls across from him.  
“Hello?”

A person emerged from the red light, Steve couldn’t make out their face but could tell that they weren’t human from the way they moved and the fact that they had one big metal beam with wheels rather then legs.

The robot glided over to tony and injected him with something, it then turned and faced Steve. It then left, as it made its way back down the creepy hallway the lights turned off and Steve was plunged into the darkness.

“Shit... what the actual hell”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I’m kevaing it up to you guys... is tony dead or is he still alive? Please comment what you would prefer xx

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what ya think! I’m always open to feed back.


End file.
